The Genesis Project (3 page)

Her
father had seen to all her needs, including her fangs which helped her to blend in with the others. With the exception of her hair and skin tone she was just like everyone else.
With a little extra kick.
Her eyes and skin as well as her veins beneath, were at odds with the paler milky, white skin of all Pars that resided in the Northern Hemisphere. Their electric blue eyes and platinum white hair separated her from the masses. Her hair would always remain the same midnight black, she'd tried to die her hair once, but her hair wouldn't take to the chemicals. Fitting in was not an option and Gen was more than okay with that.

She knew how Adam saw her, odd and something different he could show off to his friends, which is why he'd agreed to escort her. Being the understudy to her father was lonely, but
appreciated.
She didn't want the extra attention she would garner when attending the Academy, but she did so with the knowledge that in one rotation she'd never had to deal with it again. Adam Reynard was tall and pleasing to the female population. His skin was milky white, and blemish free. Perfect electric blue eyes encased in long, thick eyelashes. He kept his hair choppy in varying lengths and he had an athletically active physique. Broad shoulders and a lean waist and in top physical form. She knew from the vidfeeds that he received a lot of female attention. Her enhancements allowed her to accurately size him up, but she'd never sized anyone up and considered them pleasing. Gen ignored the errant thought; she wasn't going to waste another minute thinking of things that were of no concern. This was Adam's final rotation at the Academy and Genesis' first and only rotation. There
would
be no time to get to know one another.

They were exactly five rotations apart, and she'd started Academy an entire rotation early. This had caused a problem for most of the students there, and the only reason she'd gotten wind of it was because she'd heard the conversation between Adam and her father. There were times when her hearing was an advantage and then other times when it wasn't of any use to her. She could have done without hearing the comment Adam had made underneath his breath. What did he mean when he said she was a test? She felt paralyzed, her feet unable to take the steps forward to greet Adam. Gen tried to analyze her reaction and inability to approach him, but couldn't find a valid reason. She wasn't scared of him. He posed no danger, and even if he wasn't aware of it, Gen could
take
him down without a moment's thought. Gen gave herself an internal pep talk of all the reasons why she would have to get on the back of his lunar bike.
One rotation Blackmore and then it's back to the lab you go.

“Well,” Adam gestured with his hand. “Bianca is having a fit about me taking you to orientation.” His tone was curt and resentful. Why should she care? She didn't ask to be escorted, and was willing to make the journey alone.

Genesis looked the Chancellor's son over and hesitantly stepped up to the bike. Bianca Treegold's father was on the Genetics Council and she was Adam's match. What Gen witnessed of the two as a couple was only on the vid feeds. Bianca was a socialite and she was beautiful
and
cold. Her skin so pale it looked blue against Adam's
milky
complexion. Bianca's long platinum blond hair hung to her waist in a wall of flowing grace. She looked small and delicate, but she was a force to be reckoned with in socialite clothing, or at least that was what she'd heard via the vid-screens. It was rumored that she'd once had someone banished to Necropolis. A dark planet in the crab nebulae system that was overrun by creatures so dreadful they had no name. If someone were to get on Bianca's bad side that is where they'd find themselves jumped too. A one-way ticket to the outer rim of their universe, where no rules apply, and only the strongest survived the harshest of living conditions. Being escorted by Adam would definitely earn her a spot on Bianca's bad side.

Genesis put on her best smile. Her father had made it clear, she was not to upset the Chancellor's son.

“
Sorry you had to go through all the trouble of taking me to orientation Adam.” He wasn't her friend; he wasn't even a family friend. He was the guy her father commandeered to escort her. Her only confidant had been A.I.

Genesis pulled her arms through the shoulder straps on her clothes pack and got onto the back of Adam's lunar bike. The first thing she noticed when she sat on the back of the bike was the smell. Being raised in a sterile environment she wasn't exposed to a myriad of scents. The exhaust from his bike hid the true scent that lingered in an impenetrable cloud that was uniquely his. This was her first time being this close to any other male aside from her father. His scent burst through with a harsh punch. He smelled tangy and bittersweet like chocolate. It was a combination that made her mouth water
and
her thighs clench. It was a reaction she wasn't use to experiencing, and it made her very uncomfortable. Her skin perspired, her tendons gripping.

“That's a bit too tight Genesis.” Adam said through clenched teeth. She immediately relaxed and released him. Hands shaking she placed them on her thighs and tried to relax. She was never nervous. Never had a reason to be, but that could be the only explanation. Nerves. It had nothing to do with his smell.

“Sorry, I'm a bit nervous with it being the first day of Academy.”

“That's twice you've apologized. Let's keep your offenses to a minimum and just get you to the assembly hall on time.”

Adam turned, handing her a pair of lunar glasses. She didn't need them but
she
couldn't tell him that, so she took them and placed them over her eyes. The glasses protected everyone from the cosmic dust build up from the moon. New Earth's atmosphere was still plagued with particles from space. If a person went without the protective eyewear for long periods of time they would have permanent retinal damage, eventually becoming blind.

“Wrap your arms around my waist.” Adam said over his shoulder as he adjusted his lunar glasses and eased the bike forward on its stand. “When I lean, you lean with me, okay?”

“Okay.”

Gen wasn't prepared for the thrumming of the engine, or her body's response, when Adam started the engine. She wiggled in the seat and tried to reposition herself in a spot that
would
cause less friction against her center. She felt like a newborn with all the new stimulation. Working in her father's lab had severely limited her knowledge of the outside world. She had nothing to reference back to. Her reaction to the bike was instant. The lower part of her body absorbed the vibrations as they travelled through her. Starting at her toes then raking across the nerves beneath her skin. She enjoyed the tremors as the sensation settled pleasantly at the base of her spine. Echoes of the sound bounced back and forth at the juncture between her thighs and tickled parts she wasn't familiar with.

“Stop doing that.” Adam growled.

The bike shot down the drive and into oncoming traffic. There were hover crafts riding alongside them and a public jump station on the corner.
Gen
catalogued every scent and sound as they drove by. There were even plasma bars attracting their customers with bright neon signs. Things she'd only read about in books, or saw on a vid screen. Taking it all in at one time made her feel too sheltered and naïve, but the life of a scientist
was
sheltered. They worked indoors for long hours, unless they worked in the field. She worked in her father's lab from sun up to sun down and half way through the moon's mid-phase. The last time Gen had gone outside, she was just a child. After that, there was never a reason for her to venture outdoors. Everything she'd ever needed was inside her father's work room. Going to the Academy felt
wrong
.

# # #

The lunar bike slowed as they
approached
a large jump station. She could tell from the golden arches that the station was used by council members alone. Jump stations were the easiest mode of transportation as long as you had the credits to use them. Space elevators for the highly elite, her and her father jokingly called them. They could get you from one planet to the next in hyper-seconds. If you couldn't afford taking the jump stations you would have to take a surge flight. Portals that disassembled your body and put you back together once you reached your intended destination. Bad things sometimes happened in a surge. The electrical field could be unstable, and if there were too many people in one transport, there was a chance they'd come out on the other side, fused together. But over the centuries they had almost perfected the surge, and now the chances were slim. Genesis and her father took a surge
once
when she was younger. They'd traveled back to her father's home planet for his sire's burial. Even though the planet was void of its blood rivers and weeping trees, some of the oldest Pars still wished to be buried there on their home planet. That trip hadn't been so bad.

Adam parked the lunar bike. Gen reluctantly got off as he threw his leg over the side, heading straight for the jump stations credit scanner.

“We're jumping?” Gen asked panicked. She couldn't afford the jump. She barely had enough credits for little things, like supplies. “I can't afford the jump. I'll take a surge and hopefully, I'll make it on time.”

They'd passed a surge station a few blocks back. She could make it. Gen heard him call her a brainless female as she stepped off the curb but didn't
turn
around to correct him. She wasn't brainless. She was without the means to travel like high society, and that was okay. She'd long ago accepted her role in life. When she was smaller she'd day dreamed about that kind of life, the one she'd only read about. As she matured, her logic took over her dreams and Genesis learned, that living in the now, was better than living in the want. She wasn't unhappy in her life, quite the opposite, she was grateful for the life she'd been given.

Gen was acutely aware of Adam following close behind.

“Of course, how else are we supposed to get there? No one surges anymore. I've heard my father say he was going to have all of the surge stations removed permanently. They're a thing of the past.”

Irritation
burned bright in Adam's eyes. She didn't need to listen for the signs, she could see his emotions right behind his electric blue orbs. He was frustrated with her, faced with having to babysit, she could understand why. To Adam she was a thorn in his side. Something his father made him do, it wasn't something he openly volunteered for. She didn't have the credits to use a jump station and she didn't see any other way to the Academy short of taking a transporter, which would mean she would have had to leave at least a week ago in order to arrive on time.

“I don't have enough credits, okay, and I've already imposed on you enough.”

Adam's hand shot out and grabbed onto Genesis' arm. He intended to pull her back towards the jump station, only
the
two of them stood there completely shocked at the other's unexpected reaction.

Anyone else would have reacted differently to a touch so simple. She'd had skin on skin contact before but when Adam reached out and took hold of her arm, something hot passed through her at the point of contact. It was foreign, powerful and scary. It made her feel emotions she couldn't put names to. It was a volatile mixture of confusion and warmth. Making her feel extremely vulnerable.

Gen stared down at their linked hands in shock. Stared until Adam released her.
Praise be to the Goddess of the night.
Gen thought. She was never touching another person again if that was the reaction she would garner. Adam took a few steps back and watched her with assessing eyes. His
pupils
dilated and his nostrils flared as if he was trying to catch her scent. She couldn't place the new smell that was now coming off of him in a strong, dark musk. It wasn't unpleasant, but her body response was. Her palms were sweaty, and her breast tingled as they became heavy. She could see Adam's teeth as they extended to rest on the bottom of his lower lip. This was not good. They both stood still, looking at one another with equal amounts of confusion and trepidation. Adam was the one that broke their spell. She'd been so caught up in her emotions, she hadn't had time to process his reactions. Gen understood what it was that had his voice changing decibels, speaking in low and angry tones. He was aroused, and extremely irritated at his response.

“I have more than enough credits for us both to jump. Now come on so
we
can make the trip and get there before they shut the assembly doors.” He walked over to the credit log and paid for their fare.

“I'll pay you back,” Gen said as they stepped up to the platform. Their coordinates were already plugged in and all that was left for them to do was step into the jumping field.

“I know you will,” was all Adam said, as he took her hand again and that jolt of power passed through her, eliciting the same reaction from earlier. She didn't have time to reprocess the sensation though as the jump splice had already started.

Chapter
3

Jumping was just as it sounded. Coordinates were input into the docking station and then the person or persons would take the platform and jump. The experience was something Genesis enjoyed thoroughly. Her stomach dropped to what felt like the bottom of the floor and then quickly shot into her throat. Even if a person wanted to open their eyes, she was sure no one would for fear of what they may or may not see. The jump only took a few seconds and then it was over. She couldn't explain the separation of the body from the mind, but that's what happened when people jumped. When she opened her eyes she was at the Academy.

The
Academy was located in Sector 12 of the Dark Colonies. There was no sun and no cosmic dust. The moons of Upricarion were all intact, six moons in all. Two of the moons dipped right into the Sea of Valanus' back-drop and the others were bright lights that cast shadows on the surface of the dark planet. The Dark Colonies were in the Federated Universe of Upricari Prime, home to the Drow or the Dark Fae of Drubar. They had black skin embedded with diamonds and they were hairless, including their females. Once enslaved, it had taken years before they were able to break free of their jailors. But those who'd escaped took refuge on the Dark Colonies far from the uncharted systems where they'd been held against their will. They mined the mountains of Sector 12 for its precious ores, which fueled half of the United Universes fleet.